In its effort to increase farmers’ yield, Monsanto Co. signed three cross-licensing agreements with major competitors since March.
But the agreements, with Bayer CropScience, Dow AgroSciences and DuPont, are also a profit driver for the Creve Coeur-based, $13.5 billion ag giant.
In the case of DuPont, the agreement signed in March buried the hatchet on patent lawsuits between the companies. Under the licensing agreement, DuPont will license Monsanto traits for its Pioneer seed brand, and it will pay Monsanto $802 million a year between 2014 and 2017.